Honey Or Tea?
by timeanddivision
Summary: Sollux sometimes wonders why he agreed to Eridan's terms. All he needed was the cash to finish Spurb and out of all the people in the world he had to get it from that rude, stuck up, shallow, haughty guy. Jeeze...
1. Prologue

**Hey, this isn't my first fanfic but it's been a while since I last wrote one so I might be a tad bit rusty~ Anyways I hope you guys all like it. It's a comedy AU!HUMANS and I'm gonna see how many characters I can fit in to flow with the plot. Also, Honey Or Tea? is being hosted on Tumblr at honeyortea(dot)tumblr(dot)com since I have art representing some scenes. Enjoy~**

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><p><em><strong>Prologue-<strong>_

Sollux really didn't want to be here.

Really, he _did not want_ to be here.

He stood at the end of a pathway to a familiar enormous backyard he had wandered for about a year now. He was really beginning to get bothered by these trips to the wealthy side of the neighborhood. Sure, Sollux was only a few years old with very little worries and a pretty decent life, but he couldn't help but notice his father's anxiety every time they came by this familiar estate. What was so scary about the place? Sollux was more than curious to know and constantly asked his father to answer his question. Unfortunately, he was always given the "_you'll understand when you're older_" card and that really bothered Sollux. There was only one time his father had to bring that line up, being when Sollux was curious as to why a woman he saw had a rather big stomach, claiming something was kicking in her. Sollux had asked for many weeks why the woman wouldn't take the demonic monster that was kicking her out of her stomach and his father caved in, giving those exact same words to him. In short, Sollux's father always had the answers; he never strayed away or gave a vague explanation unless needed. The demon monster didn't seem to bother his father so Sollux never asked again. This time though, every time they came to the estate, Sollux's father grew a little twitchy and nervous.

And Sollux had no clue as to why.

He sat in his car seat, still being a bit too small to officially sit on his own, and swung his legs back and forth. When they came up to a gate, Sollux glanced out his window, spotting massive trees, an endless field of emerald grass kids could play soccer or football on, lots of different buildings –big ones too- and a really pretty fountain. At first the place gave Sollux a dose of excitement; he had never been somewhere so fancy! Nowadays he sighed to himself, wondering why he was always brought over here. Well, he knew why he was brought all the time, his mother worked late so she couldn't take care of him, leaving the job up to his father. There were several times he was spared the dreaded trip and able to stay with Karkat. Today he was just out of luck. When leaving the car and entering the large estate he said his hello to Mr. Hipampus and was escorted to the backyard where a certain rich couple was waiting.

That was where Sollux felt the dread creep in.

Normally he spotted a little elegant table, filled with sweets and honey at the center of the wide green sea of grass, occupied by two children. A chubby little girl with long hair and large eyes would wave frantically at him, shouting his name and nearly ordering him to join; but there was no girl today. Instead there was her partner, an awkward boy, sitting alone at the table with his hands over his golden cream cheeks. The wind grazed against his wavy brownish-blond hair and chased towards Sollux. The bored boy sighed heavily, not catching Sollux's movements towards him. Sollux held his breath, taking slow steps in slight wonder why he was approaching the boy. It was obvious the child didn't like Sollux. He even shouted it at his face when his friend was here. Was he going to bully Sollux even more now that the girl was gone?

"Hey Eridan…" Sollux mumbled under his breath.

Eridan gazed up quickly, eyes wide open but soon his thin brows creased downward in anger.

"W-what are you doin' here?" Eridan asked, giving the most professional pout he could manage.

Sollux tried not to make his usual remarks to Eridan. They had this sort of habit of greeting one another with insults; Eridan usually shot at Sollux's unintended lisp and Sollux would stab at the stutter Eridan developed because of his guardian. Sollux knew it was a mean thing to make fun of, especially when Eridan couldn't help it because Mr. Hipampus spoke like that, but Sollux didn't intend on losing fights with this spoiled brat. He clenched his fists, drew out a breath, and attempted to smile.

"My dad needth more help from Mr. Hipamputh." Sollux managed.

"Hmph!" Eridan said, sticking his nose in the air. "Sure, that's what it is."

"It ith!" Sollux retorted, taking his seat on the grass from across the table. "I never wanna come here for fun. I wanna be with Karkat."

"W-who's Karkat?"

"My betht friend!"

Eridan folded his arms, pouting again. He looked away, cheeks blushed and eyes very still on no particular object. From across, Sollux looked around the wide backyard.

"Where'th Feferi?"

"She's sick." Eridan snapped.

"With what?"

Eridan simply shrugged, not daring to take even a glance at Sollux. He looked more upset than usual.

Sollux pushed out his upper lip. He really didn't like Eridan. He was such a prick. He almost never talked directly to Sollux unless it was to bully him. It didn't matter. If Eridan wasn't talking then Sollux was happy. Instead, he placed his attention on the one thing that made these trips to Eridan's home worth wild. The snacks~

The sugary treats Eridan's guardian always had out were the one thing that drove Sollux to behave the best he could –until Eridan made it difficult for him to. Today it was a two layered strawberry cake (one of Sollux's favorite fruits) with white cream dressed all around the cake and caramel drizzled on the top. Sollux's mouth watered instantly. His eyes spotted a tea kettle which he quickly took. He had a strange liking for tea, probably because his parents drank it like it was a life-line, but theirs was a traditional Asian-style green tea. When given the chance to try Eridan's tea, Sollux would almost inhale it. Today it was cinnamon with a jar of honey sitting next to it. Sollux poured some for himself, feeling the heat of the tea warm up his small fingers. The aroma tickled his nose, a wood-like scent with a sweet touch to the brown drink being taken in by the younger. He looked up, seeing Eridan still refusing to acknowledge Sollux's existence. The boy looked back at the kettle he held. He gingerly took Eridan's cup, setting it on the table and pouring some tea.

_I know it's weird being here Sollux, but I need you to be a good boy for daddy, alright?_

He had to be a good boy. Sollux bit his bottom lip, remembering how stressed out his father looked. Maybe if he actually did act like a good child his dad wouldn't be so tired.

"How much honey do you want?" Sollux asked.

Eridan didn't answer. Sollux rolled his heterochromatic eyes and grabbed the jar of honey. The honey nuzzled nicely within the clear jar, a hue of orange and brown creasing together and lifting a sugary scent. Sollux licked his lips, dipping a spoon into the golden delicacy and stirred it in Eridan's cup. He took another spoon full, and another, and-

"That's too much." Eridan finally spoke.

Sollux looked up. "Oh… thorry. Here, have mine. I didn't put any honey in it yet."

Eridan stared at the cup for a while before hesitantly grabbing it and taking the honey. He stirred his own amount, a much _smaller_ amount, into his tea. Sollux took a cutting knife and split the cake, first asking Eridan how much he wanted. As always, it was small amount. Jeeze, when did the kid actually eat? Well, more cake for him! Sollux passed Eridan's piece and cut a large amount for himself. He was quick to begin stuffing the cake in his mouth. The fluffy texture settled nicely as he ate it, a melting cream mixed with caramel and a hint of vanilla sitting at the back of his mouth and- _oh man it was just so good!_ Sollux wished he could have sweets like this every day of his life.

"You eat like a pig." Eridan whined.

Sollux looked up, spotting Eridan's scrunched up nose, and pursed lips.

"Tho?" Sollux asked with a mouthful.

"Eat wwith your mouth closed!" Eridan said.

Sollux began to obnoxiously eat his food, purposely slapping his lips together and making a scene. The boy across from him folded his arms once more and pouted angrily. Sollux pouted back, growing more irritated at that face. It was just so professionally done he only wanted to smack the ever living day lights out of it.

Instead, the two grew silent once more. Sollux ate quietly to himself, not in the mood to provoke Eridan for now. The piece Sollux cut out for Eridan was soon gone when Sollux took almost half the cake already. He was beginning to feel the sugar sit on his stomach but he refused to cave in. Who knows when the next time would be that he ate something as delicious as this?

"You don't like me, do you Sol?" Eridan asked, shuffling his hands back and forth.

Sollux blinked. Well yeah, if Eridan wasn't so mean than maybe he'd like him, but if Sollux said that he knew the boy would get angry. He tipped the thin lip of the tea cup to his mouth, tapping the tips of his teeth against it.

"I… I like you." Sollux said blandly.

Eridan glared at Sollux. "No you don't. You're lying!"

"I do!" Sollux argued back.

"No you don't!"

"Yes I do!"

"Nu-uh!"

Great, the one thing he was trying to avoid and it happened anyways. Sollux pouted. He had to do something to calm Eridan down, but what? Well, he remembered Feferi would always hug and kiss him; that would generally shut him up. Sollux didn't like the idea but today he was doing it for his dad. He stood up quickly and strolled towards Eridan, sitting next to the boy and tightly bringing him into an embrace.

"W-what are you doin'?" Eridan asked.

Before Eridan could splutter out another word, Sollux shut his eyes close tightly and puckered his lips outward, kissing Eridan's cheek. Sollux felt his cheeks warm up a bit, mostly because of the humiliation of having to do that. Eridan though, well, he looked like a plump red cherry from Sollux's view.

"W-what wwas that for?" Eridan asked with frantic eyes.

"I told you I liked you." Sollux responded firmly.

"…r… really?" Eridan sunk his face into the rather big scarf he wore obsessively. He glanced around the garden, as if expecting someone to come out of one of the many building surrounding them. His eyes fell back on Sollux. "You… really like me?"

"Thure." Sollux said, taking his plate and setting it in front of himself.

Within seconds Sollux began his gorging, taking in large amounts of the desert. Eridan was busy glancing at his hands, the cake and Sollux. It was evident that Sollux didn't understand what Eridan's definition of like was. Still, the two basked in their own worlds; Sollux enjoying Eridan's quiet and the food as well as Eridan beaming from a naive heart. Eridan nudged closer to Sollux, resting his head over the boy's shoulder. Sollux grew rigid for a second, only to relax once more when Eridan refrained from developing more tension.

Maybe today wouldn't turn out so terrible.

Their time was up almost too quickly. Sollux was stuffed and sleepy from eating almost the whole cake himself. Eridan settled with the tea they had, but he didn't drink more than the first cup. He had a rather tiny appetite. The moment Sollux's father called out to him from the estate, Sollux reluctantly got up from his laying position on the grass. If it wasn't for his father, he would have stayed there all day with Eridan clinging to him like a teddy bear. It was a little weird at first since Sollux didn't work so well with body contact –especially from bullies- but the hazy feeling in his head and his drowsy eyes helped him ignore Eridan's grasp. Once Sollux got up he said his good bye to Eridan and ran off to his father.

"Have a fun time with Eridan?" Sollux's father asked with a grin.

Sollux looked back to Eridan who gave a small wave. He returned the wave but it was short lived.

"Yeah… it wath okay." Sollux answered.

He looked more closely to his father, seeing the tired eyes and heavy expression had disappeared after so long. His dad looked relieved for once, without any stress or worry. Sollux smiled broadly to himself as the two walked back to the car. See, because he was a good boy his daddy would be happy. Sollux felt pretty proud of himself, after all…

Today turned out pretty good.

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><p>Side notes: Mr. Hipampu is Seahorse dad just to tell ya guys. I (lazily) came up with the idea since the genus for seahorse is <em><strong>Hippocampus.<strong>_


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1-**

"No, no, no! NO! Shit! Fuck! _COME ON_! Dammit!"

Sollux threw himself back on his chair, raking his hands through his hair. Fuck, he had a feeling this was going to happen but did he listen to himself? Noooo! Sollux grumbled a fury of curse words, pinching the bridge of his nose. Just... augh!

"The hell is wrong with you?"

Sollux slumped forward, eyeing his computer like it'd magically come back to life. With the overcapacity in his computer his monitor fell blank, close to losing all the information in a dramatic way to save itself. Sollux sighed, falling to his seat once more and pushing his seat back further. He let his head drop backwards, seeing Karkat on his bed with a Wii controller in his hand.

"I have to go get another server." Sollux groaned, running his hands over his face.

He kicked forward, standing up and shutting off his computer. He sluggishly walked over to his closet, wobbling a bit since he couldn't remember the last time he stood up. Karkat sat upward from the side of Sollux's bed, seeing the other grab a coat. He brought himself to stand as well, turning off the game console and took a hold of his own jacket.

"Alright, let's go."

"You don't have to come with." Sollux said as he shoved an arm through one sleeve. "I'm probably jutht going to wathte my time trying to negotiate for thomething I don't have the money for."

Karkat huffed, glaring at the other. "I need to get something at a store nearby. Might as well tag along with your numb ass than stay here."

Sollux frowned, moving his legs a little more to try to get the numb feeling out of them. It wasn't his fault his lower body fell asleep on him. You'd think his legs and butt would know by now that they weren't going to be used on holidays. At all. Sollux shuffled around his room, starting for the door and twisting the handle. He did his best to ignore the crawling sensation around his thin legs so he ended up using Karkat as support for a while. Once they reached the staircase Sollux found his limbs and carried on himself.

The sunlight from the windows irritated Sollux's eyes, but they soon adjusted to the scenery. At the first floor they entered a small a hallway, stretched out by a loft where a stubby man, just around his 40's with charcoal black hair yet youthful eyes, sat on one chair, tinkering with some unknown device.

"I'll be back Mr. Duethe." Sollux called out to the man.

Mr. Deuce glanced up from his contraption, offering a small smile. "Alright boy. Be safe."

Sollux nodded, opening the door for Karkat and leaving the small apartment home.

"Dude, aren't you afraid he's gonna blow up the place one day with whatever explosive shit he's playing with?" Karkat asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Sollux shrugged. "Not really. If he'th gone thith long playing with bombth and hathn't killed himthelf, then I have nothing to worry about."

In reality Sollux didn't care whether the building exploded or not, he was just happy to pay rent for a cheap price and not live in a crap ass neighborhood. Mr. Deuce was a close companion of Sollux's father, and was generous enough to rent out his third floor to Sollux so he could attend the school he wanted without too much hassle. Karkat didn't like the idea of Sollux staying in with an old, somewhat crazy ex-bomb technician but Sollux didn't give so much of a rat's ass about his opinion. He personally knew Mr. Deuce longer than Karkat, and the elder was careful to warn Sollux of any danger around the house. He was like a second father really, so Sollux trusted him.

Outside was a chaos of winds. The spring weather decided to call out the violent cold air from out towards the ocean into the city. Sollux hugged himself, trying to keep the cold away from his shivering frame. The two walked into an old Ford Sollux had inherited a while back. The thing looked like a piece of crap but it worked beautifully. The engine started up and Sollux turned on the heater. A rumble of music blasted through the stereos, some unknown rhythm playing through the whole car. Sollux drove off into town, mindlessly listening to Karkat bitch about his school assignments and life in general. He continuously responded with some _mhmm's_ and _sure's_ and _okay's_. Not much of it really stuck to his memory since he didn't really care.

Sollux found a parking spot in the cramped city after several circles around the streets. The lively city went on about its day, passing the two along as they began to roam across the sidewalks. Sollux licked his dried lips, recalling every street and corner they passed before finding the shop he needed. He gave a heavy sigh, not entirely sure why he was trying his luck at getting another server. He was pretty deep in debt at this point, being lucky enough to pay at a decent rate. It was still such a hassle and he was beginning to feel sleep deprivation get the best of him.

Inside the store occupied several customers and employees helping around. Sollux and Karkat wandered towards the back where behind a counter a woman with dirty blond hair and peach skin shuffled through supplies under the counter. Karkat approached it, giving a cough to catch her attention. She looked up, smiling wildly as she stood.

"Oh well look who it is! Karkat and his partner in crime!" A woman cackled from behind the counter. "How can I help you, boys?"

Karkat huffed, brows furrowing together as he nearly glared at the other. "You still work here, Terezi?"

"Why wouldn't I? It pays the bills!" She said.

"Don't blind people have fucking benefits so they don't have to work?"

"I'm good at what I do." Terezi grinned. "A little blindness isn't going to stop me from doing what I want to."

Karkat sighed right when Sollux approached the counter.

"Litthen, Terezi, I need you to help me get thomething."

"Need another server?" She asked casually.

"Bathically."

"If you keep asking you're going to get in deeper debt, Sollux. Do you know how much money you already owe?"

"A lot, I get it, but I thwear thith time I'm clothe."

Karkat rolled his eyes, starting back for the exit. Terezi leaned a bit over the counter, noticing Karkat's leave. "And where are you going? You just came in!"

"I'm not gonna waste my time here listening to a pointless argument. Just call me when you shitsponges get somewhere."

Terezi couldn't help herself and laughed. "That's a new one!" Karkat kept to himself, muttering out more guttural words as he left. "Okay… so, a server?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I don't know what to say, Sollux. You're not very good when it comes to handling money."

"I paid off motht of the therverth, didn't I?"

"Sure," Terezi began tapping her fingers over the counter, "but what I'm saying is my family doesn't really have the money right now to help you."

Sollux groaned, running his hands over his eyes. "I thought that wath the cathe."

"Look, my mom's getting another case soon and I know she's gonna win it," Terezi assured, "if you wait a while I can get you the money then."

"That'd take monthth!"

"Better than nothing."

From an aisle in a short distance crept around a silent figure. He examined the merchandise as he unconsciously listened to the conversation happening out back. For a long moment he contemplated one voice that sounded oddly familiar, or at least the lisp did. Once he heard the name called several times he was sure of whom the customer was.

"Still hav-ving financial problems, hmm, Sol?"

Sollux jerked his head to the right, surprised at the new voice. The hell? Who was that? And what was with the nickname? The supposed stranger emerged from the center aisle; a lean man standing before Sollux, broaden features over his face, a striking purple streak against brownish-blond hair and familiar baby-blues that looked almost purple behind a ridiculous pair of glasses. Sollux hadn't caught the stutter at first but when the voice and appearance registered in his mind he almost felt a cold chill run down his spine.

"Ed?"

The man smirked, pink lips exposing the tips of his stunning white teeth. "Long time no see."

The shock still stunned Sollux. It certainly was a blast from the past and he had no clue how to react to it. Frankly, he was a bit surprised he actually remembered who Eridan was –then again it wasn't too hard to forget a jerk that constantly made fun of your lisp. There were a lot of things that were different about Eridan; the first being that he didn't look like some pansy spoiled-rich boy anymore. Actually, if Sollux didn't have those memories rush back he'd almost feel attracted to the other. Okay, fuck, he had to admit the asshole looked pretty hot. There was defiantly confidence in Eridan now and that was enough to make Sollux interested in him. Still, even with his handsome features, that didn't change the fact that this guy was a douche.

"Oh my Sol, should I be flattered that you're staring at me?" Eridan asked with a cocky grin.

Sollux blinked frantically, shaking his head and sneering at the other. "Fuck you! What the hell are you doing here anywayth? I thought you got shipped off to Europe or thomething."

"I w-was." Eridan snapped back. "But that doesn't mean I can't return to my old home now-w does it?"

"Old friend, Sollux?" Terezi asked, appearing highly amused at the scene.

Sollux scowled. "More like acquaintantheth."

"Not ev-ven." Eridan said with a cool grin. "I prefer company property when it comes to your family."

"Fuck you!" Sollux snapped. "My dad paid off his debts athhole. I don't need to hear shit from you!"

Eridan raised his hands in defense, not seeming fazed by Sollux's suddenly risen voice. "I only speak the truth."

"Truth my ath."

"Whoa, order! Order!" Terezi said, slapping her hand at the table. "The court goes to the strange acquaintance."

"Not now, Terezi." Sollux groaned. He drew attention back to his offender. "What are you even doing here?"

"It's a fuckin' free country ain't it?"

"No I mean here. Ath in, L.A. Don't you have some marble castle thomewhere up north to attend to?"

"My life isn't restricted to the areas I liv-ve near. Besides I'm attending a school here for some time anyw-ways."

"Oh great." Sollux exasperated. "Now I get the haunting thought of pothibly theeing your thtupid fathe in thith thity."

"W-well aren't you kind." Eridan said, pushing back a strand of hair behind his ear. "And here I w-was going to offer a deal for your financial troubles."

"What?" Sollux asked. "No, no, no, no! Nu-uh! Not after the bullshit you put my family though! Forget it."

"I'm not as ev-vil as my father w-was, Sol." Eridan stated.

"Why would you want to help me anywayth?" Sollux asked.

Eridan bit the insides of his cheeks, looking straight at the other. Sollux raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the stare. Was the guy trying to see through him or something? What the hell.

"Sollux." Sollux looked back to Terezi who was fumbling with a little box. "I'm not really good when it comes to business stuff, but if your family has worked together at least hear him out. Especially since you sounded like you couldn't wait to get your server."

Sollux chewed on his lower lip, glancing back at his old acquaintance. That uncomfortable stare no longer bore though him, making Eridan look less threatening. He huffed, rolling his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Goddamn… fine! I'll litthen, but I make no fucking promitheth."

Eridan smiled proudly, as if accomplishing some evil task of his. Sollux really didn't want to get involved in this, but he didn't want to wait for his project to get done. The moment Sollux agreed. Eridan draped his arm of Sollux's shoulder with a malicious grin.

"Great. Just like old times, hm?"

Sigh. _Fucking ass…_

The whole time the two wandered the streets, Sollux was forced to explain his project plans. He was describing his new video game _Spurb_. He was brief in describing its applications and purpose, which Eridan criticized frequently throughout the whole time. More than once, Sollux spat rather harsh come-backs which would be jabbed with harsher come-backs by Eridan. Really, the two just spent their time cursing at one another. Before Sollux could reach the end of his idea, he threw his arms in the air, screaming another curse at Eridan and telling him to fuck off.

"Why am I even giving you the thatifaction of thith? You obviously don't care!" Sollux pointed out.

"You don't take criticism v-very w-well do you, Sol?" Eridan asked with crossed arms.

"It'th not the fucking critithithm that is pithing me off, it'th that your jutht trying to fuck around with me." Sollux looked around, confused and furious. "You never liked me, not back then and obviouthly not now. We were forthed to fucking hang out with each other but not anymore. You can leave if you want. I don't give a shit, but you're thtill here! Why?"

Eridan rolled his eyes, huffing. "Sol, you're screaming."

"I don't care!"

"W-would you calm dow-wn. You're makin' a fuckin' scene."

"Oh well, excuthe me, printheth!"

If Sollux had taken a moment to look around his surroundings he would have realized that he was making a scene. Although, due to the lack of sleep and anti-social behavior he seemed to have developed ever since this project, he didn't do well with people who pissed him off –which there weren't many people who could successfully do that, annoyed maybe but not pissed. Eridan didn't really process the anger that was now fuming within the other, or he was just ignoring it. He was staring off at a distance to no particular thing from Sollux's view.

"Are you even lithening to me?"

"W-would you like something to eat, Sol?"

Sollux just stared.

And stared.

And stared.

And stared some fucking more.

"Dude… what?"

His temperature dropped a few levels and he didn't know how to react. His emotions were momentarily stunned.

Eridan pouted his lips. "I can see you hav-ven't eatin' in a long time Sol, you also look fuckin' sleep depriv-ved. I can already tell it's because of your game you insist on finishing. So I'm going to ask you again, w-would you like to go eat something?"

Sollux stood there in a slight wonder. When was the last time he ate? Or slept? Or showered for that matter? Seriously, he needed to take better care of himself.

"… thure… I gueth…"


	3. Chapter 2

**I might have Part-Time Lover (Matt Giraud's Cover) be the theme song for this fic. I'm just saying. I might make an AMV now because of this. That's a _BIG MIGHT_ though. A very big one.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2-<strong>

Okay, at first Sollux was like what and now... well he's still wondering what. He let himself be dragged by Eridan to a small restaurant with a sudden pounding head and growling stomach. He hadn't noticed the aches or pains or exhaustion until now when his emotions ran amuck from the presence of his very own pain in the ass. The past week made a little sense now; his friends kept telling him to take a break and now he was considering the advice. Upon receiving a table, Sollux sat down across from Eridan, a migraine starting to race along his head. Eridan smirked at the other, sliding his finger around the lip of a glass filled with water.

"Sol, I'd like to inv-vest in your project."

Sollux blinked hard, "Invetht?"

"Sure."

"Dammit Ed, are you-"

"I'm serious Sol, I'm considerin' making an inv-vestment on your little project."

Sollux looked to either sides of his shoulders and glared back. "I'm not in the mood for thith Ampor-"

"W-will you just listen for a second? I listened to you for the past half hour, didn't I?"

"Yeah, while interrupting every five thecondth," Sollux sneered. "Why would you want to make an invethtment anywayth? I thought you hated my gutth."

"Personal problems hav-ve nothing to do with business. Besides, people change y'know?"

"You thtill haven't."

"Look, relationship w-wise I doubt w-will ev-ver be improv-ved betw-ween us, but bein' the company son's ow-owner I know-w I could help you out."

"Why?"

"To bring back old financial relations of course."

"You mean make me your goddamn dog?"

"W-well-"

Sollux abruptly stood up; a flash of black blurring the sides of his vision. The world around him spun in a circle as his exhaustion began to get the better of him. A slight pressure was applied to his upper arm and he could hear Eridan through a suddenly loud restaurant.

"Alright I get it Sol, you hav-ve lots of pride. W-what I meant to say is I'd like to help you out in better w-ways. Y'know, clear aw-way the bad records our names once had."

"It's jutht all about the money for you."

"And w-what do you hav-ve to lose?"

"Being in debt to an arrogant athhole which tho happenth to be you."

"Then w-why don't you make up the guidelines?"

Sollux raised an eyebrow at the other. He let out a small breath, taking a seat after his threatening motion to leave. Eridan still stood, hand half reached over until Sollux looked to him, assuring he wouldn't leave.

"I'd make the guidelineth?"

"A majority of them, yes."

Sollux wrapped his fingers around the glass of water he had yet to touch. Its cool feel against his skin made his throat suddenly grow dry. He chugged the water down in one motion. The icy stream ran through his throat, cooling down the heat fuming in his face. He felt a threatening fever begin to simmer down.

"I dunno, I mean I'll hear you out Ed but I'm not looking for a partnership on my project."

"You aren't going to get far w-with your little project stuck in the basement of a low, middle-class house."

"I moved out moron. I'm not that fucking poor."

Eridan smirked. "How-w do you manage w-with your amazing social skills?"

"Better than you. I probably thtill have more friendth than you ever will," Sollux shot back.

"I hav-ve friends."

"People who you're forthed to be nithe with don't count ath friendth."

"This topic is beside the point."

"Tho you thtill don't have any friendth?" Sollux chuckled bitterly.

Eridan frowned, cheeks burning and eyes darkening. "I only need Fef, smartass."

"Oh yeah, how's she doing?" Sollux asked, now feeling a lot better –more like arrogant and confident- than they first started out. "She got pretty hot over the yearth, huh? I'd like to thee her," Sollux winked, "if you know what I mean."

"You-"

"Sorry for the wait gentlemen, are you ready to order?"

Sollux was grinning more wildly, humming to himself as he checked the menu. He made almost a list of the things he wanted to order; whatever sounded good was what he asked for. Eridan shook his head lightly, knowing Sollux was just abusing the courtesy of him paying for the meal. What a waste of food. Eridan ordered a small course to fill his non-existent appetite. They passed their menus to the waiter, eyes locked dangerously on one another.

"There are children in Africa who deserv-ve that food more than you do."

"Then why don't you go pick up one of them and athk them on a pretty little date."

"You wish it w-were a date."

"Thorry, you're not my type of guy."

This was basically the progression of their relationship for the most part. It felt rather natural and almost heart-warming to Sollux. Though their insults were far more harsh and immature, the action basically summed up their childhood years. Maybe a black eye would be given, but since they were out in public that couldn't happen unless they wished to be kicked out of the restaurant. The banters continued even when their meals were being delivered, to which Sollux reenacted the days he ate sloppily –not that his manners changed much after, but he had the courtesy to eat politely in front of _important_ people. Eridan scrunched his nose up, daintily picking at his food without much interest.

"I don't understand you." Sollux looked up in slight wonder. "I offer you money to help support your project and you act like you w-want nothing of it."

"It'th not jutht about the money," Sollux said, nearly spitting his food to purposely disgust the other. "It'th the shit daddy dearest put my family through. How do I know you won't treat me the thame way?"

"I nev-ver met my father Sol." Eridan responded. "If I had I probably w-wouldn't be here."

Sollux chewed his food slowly, seeing something a bit different in Eridan's gaze. He was familiar with the immature haughty stare the other shot constantly at him; it was usually what made Sollux irritated and pissed at the other. At the moment, there was just a glimpse of honesty and even common ground between him and Sollux. Was he that desperate to get Sollux to agree to this or was it something else? Sollux huffed, pressing his knuckles up against his temple.

"Can I jutht... think about it?" Sollux asked. "I'm not going anywhere and you're the only option at thith point."

Eridan looked back, a bit more perked up. "I'm fine w-with that."

"Well aren't you happy?"

"Shut it."

Sollux rolled his eyes. "Tho then… what brings you back here?"

Sollux regretted that question. Jesus did he regret that question.

He forgot how much of a conceited talker Eridan was and how much he loved his stupid voice because he went on, and on, and on about God knows what. Sollux knew the other moved to France because of business reasons but then Eridan insisted on giving the back story of why he had to make his return to the states. At some point Sollux just dropped his head to the table, smashing it against the frame several times and laid there when his head ache began to return. The lecture started to blur into one mixture after some time; France, school, company policy, what? It all slurred in Sollux's head and he found exhaustion getting to him once more.

"Sol, are you ev-ven listening?"

"Attentively." Sollux lied.

"Really now-w?"

Before Eridan could shoot a question at Sollux the waiter came by, asking if the food was fine and dropping off the bill. Sollux looked up, catching a glimpse of Eridan's face. The other didn't seem shocked or angered at the price of the meal. Hmph! And Sollux was half expecting Eridan to flip the table and cough out fire from his mouth. How disappointing.

Sollux's phone in a sudden motion began to ring where a different fire breathing voice erupted through the restaurant.

"Karkat?"

"_YOU HAVE A LOT OF FUCKING NERVE TO IGNORE ME ASSHAT_!"

Sollux cringed, not expecting Karkat's voice to be so loud. The response not only caught Eridan's attention but a quarter of the restaurant's customers. Damn, and Karkat wasn't even on speaker. Sollux turned a bit, facing away from Eridan's slightly surprised face.

"Chill man," Sollux nearly whispered, but it wasn't much of a help since the restaurant fell quiet, most eyes on him.

"DON'T TELL ME TO CHILL! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU ANYWAYS? I took you out of your fucking house so you could get some fresh air, and I come back to hear Terezi tell me you ran off with some pretty boy to do God knows what!"

"Karkat, it'th not like that."

"Don't "_Karkat it's not like that_" with me fucker! You could have at least answered my texts. I thought you were fucking kidnapped or something. Do you know how long I was waiting for you to answer until I called Terezi?"

"What?" Sollux glanced at his phone and surely enough at the top of the screen there was an icon indicating his new message. He guessed he hadn't caught it when he was walking. "Thorry… I'll make it up to you, okay?"

"You fucking better!"

"Do you want me to pick you up right now?"

"Too late," Karkat sneered, lowering the angered tone in his voice. "I'm taking the bus with Terezi. You can drive your sorry ass home by yourself."

"Yeah, yeah." Sollux said, brushing off the comment.

The call ended, bringing Sollux back to Eridan who had arms folded and an amused smirk over his lips. Oh how Sollux missed that tingling sensation in his fists to just punch that face out.

"Friend?"

"And?"

"Isn't he charming?"

"He'th my betht friend tho you better back off." Sollux glared.

"I said nothing."

"I know you were going to."

"W-why w-waste my breath?

"Becauthe you're that much of a raging jackath."

"You're no different."

The waiter dropped off the bill which Eridan so casually signed. He then stole away an unused napkin, scribbling his name and number over the thin sheet.

"Here." Eridan said sliding the napkin to Sollux

"What? No kiss on the napkin?"

Eridan snorted. "Buy me dinner next time and maybe there'll be one."

Sollux collapsed to the couch once he entered Mr. Deuce's home. His legs gave out when the rush of heated air engulfed his body. His limbs grew shaky as he dragged himself into the living room. Everything just felt heavy on him, especially with an overstuffed stomach. Sollux fell face forward on the couch, his glasses crushing up against his eyes. He removed them quickly, groaning lowly under his breath. He thought he'd simply close his eyes and rest for a while until a loud thud startled him. Mr. Deuce was studying and comparing some strange objects with wires jutting out of them. Sollux rubbed his eyes, feeling his body still weak and tired. He grabbed a pillow, stuffing it under his face when he noticed a blanket was draped over him. He stared blindly at the two objects, trying to make out the strange figures on the table.

"Get a good sleep?"

"Felt like a nap." Sollux muttered.

Mr. Deuce chuckled lowly to himself, tapping his fingers against one machine. "I guess if you're that tired. At least you got a couple hours to sleep in for once this vacation week."

"Hours?" It was still sunset from what Sollux saw.

"Yeah, it's Thursday boy."

"What?" Sollux eyes grew wide open. He glanced at his phone, taking a double take at the date. Did he seriously almost a day's worth just sleeping? Did he just-? Fuck...

Sollux dropped his head on the pillow, whining into it. Mr. Deuce smiled blankly at the objects he was playing with. He placed one over the other, letting out a loud clank that made Sollux cringe. The younger blindly searched for his glasses as Mr. Deuce packed away his machines. The man returned to the room with a board under his arm, setting it in the coffee table at the center of the loft. Sollux stared aimlessly at the board, realizing it was a chess board. Really? Right after he just woke up?

"Want something to drink, boy?" Mr. Deuce asked as he scattered out the chess pieces.

Sollux huffed, sitting upward. Yep, Mr. Deuce was serious. He inhaled long and hard, pursing his lips together in thought.

"Just coffee... pleathe," Sollux said.

Mr. Deuce escaped off to the kitchen, getting coffee made and a mixture of alcohol for himself. Still in the living room, Sollux pushed off the blanket, feeling the combination of a heated room and wool beginning to make him sweat. He leaned towards the chess board, starting to place each piece into place.

It was a weird tradition Mr. Deuce started with Sollux back when he barely got his braces. At first Sollux had no clue why they'd do it. Later on he guessed it may have been to help with his self-esteem, but now he had no clue why they'd do it. Anyways, Mr. Deuce made it a point to play chess with Sollux whenever he could. Usually it was once or twice a month, and other times it would be night after night of playing chess. Sollux didn't mind the challenge, in fact he was happy to play a one on one mind game with someone else, and Mr. Deuce was pretty awesome at chess. He was a challenge, which Sollux appreciated a lot. Sometimes Mr. Deuce would play a game of poker instead. He'd just pull out a stack of cards and order Sollux to shuffle them. Sollux wasn't much of a gambler –he had nothing to gamble for anyways- but he found the skills it brought very applicable to tedious everyday tasks.

Yeah, it was weird, but he enjoyed the thought.

The chess pieces were in place and Sollux sat back on the couch. His mind automatically raced around, pondering the events of toda- well, yesterday with Eridan. The idiot seemed pretty persistent too. Sollux bit down on his lower lip. Maybe he would take the deal. He didn't know much about investments, contracts, and other shit like that, but Terezi's mother did. And if Eridan did anything sneaky, he could probably get her to help out. She was the best lawyer in the country, after all. Sollux rubbed his hand over his mouth, thinking back at the situation in general.

It was kind of funny, the idea of meeting Eridan again.

Sollux couldn't exactly remember the last time they saw one another. All he could recall was that Feferi wasn't there –or maybe she was- and Eridan was still being a whiney little bitch. What got Eridan to stop complaining that day Sollux couldn't recall; he was just glad that whatever he did he managed to shut the boy up. Sollux mind drifted to those years of the familiar baby-faced, large eyed rich boy. He definitely did change. He looked more serious and stern. His body was fitted into something stronger, more proud. Eridan appeared to mean business inside and out. The lively attitude that kept them going on with their banters was still there and so was his stupid stutter. At most though, Sollux never got over his eyes. He wasn't entirely sure why. They were a stunning baby blue shade, tinted by an odd purple color. Sollux was a bit amazed that through his rampage of stress and anger, those were the features he remembered most when talking to Eridan after so long. There was just something precious about those eyes, a rarity and unique appearance Sollux would never admit to liking, of course, but found them interesting.

A thud broke Sollux out of his fantasies, spotting a cup of coffee close beside the chess board. He glanced up, watching Mr. Deuce sip some alcoholic beverage and take a seat across from the younger.

"Why are we playing now?" That was actually a stupid question because Mr. Deuce would always respond with-

"Make your first move."

Sollux sighed. Okay.

He was about to motion his pawn when he began to stare at the board. The back of his mind tickled with the thoughts and predictions of the game, taking it about seven steps ahead of nearly a dozen situations that could go on. Mr. Deuce sat patiently, drinking his beverage and humming at the burning sensation streaming behind his tongue. Sollux finally picked up a pawn, creating a plan in his mind after what seemed like an hour. Mr. Deuce made his move quicker, almost spontaneous, catching Sollux by surprise. No long pause and thought? Okay. Sollux still stuck with his plan, moving another pawn. Once more Mr. Deuce made another sudden move. Well fuck. Sollux looked up to the elder man who casually drank his beverage.

The game didn't go on like this for too long. After about five more spontaneous moves, Mr. Deuce slowed his pace. He won his first piece after shuffling around a knight, making Sollux both shocked and slightly irritated. The cogs in his mind started up faster, working around the game plan again. When it was Mr. Deuce's turn, Sollux was staring hard and long at his opponent's bishop. The bishop was wide open, just a square piece away from his pawn but it was a little too close to his rook. Maybe he could-

"You know," Mr. Deuce said, twisting his queen between the palms of his hand, "there's only two things you need to know to survive in this world, boy, and that's how to gamble and play chess."

Sollux lifted his blue and light brown eyes to the man, "Why'th that?"

"If you know how to gamble, you know when to take a chance. If you know how to play chess, you how to approach that chance. If you understand both of them, you'll know how to get into your opponent's mind."

The moment Mr. Deuce finished his statement, he moved his queen over a pawn, the pawn close by his own Bishop and over the rook Sollux was trying to protect. Sollux groaned; infuriated with himself that he hadn't thought of that move. Damn, it had been a while since he played chess.

"Hey…"

"Hm?"

"Ith it true you beat thomeone to death with thomething called a bull penith cane?"

Deuce stared long and hard at the younger as Sollux quietly thought of his next move. He smiled, smirking down at his chubby fingers. "Hell no. What would give you that idea?"

Sollux shrugged. "Can't remember. I thought it wath cool though."

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><p><strong>Feel free to drop a review if you have the time~ Thanks you!<strong>


	4. Chapter 3

**I love Aradia's and Sollux's relationship like you don't even. Ah... enjoy~**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3-<strong>

The morning was left uneventful for weekend day. Dogs barked, babies cried, birds chirped, cops arrested people. Y'know, all that jazz. Sollux found it a little difficult to occupy his time as he thought long and hard about Eridan's deal. He couldn't finish his project without that server and each passing minute his finger itched to call that phone number on the white napkin the other left him. After Sollux's chess match with Mr. Deuce, he sat on his bed, just staring at the digits written gracefully on it. Half the time, Sollux contemplated the consequences of agreeing with Eridan, the other half he spent pointing out how feminine Eridan's hand writing was. Sollux couldn't manage much sleep that night so he occupied it with video games, trying to beat all of Karkat's high scores.

By the next day, Sollux was happy he had a job to fill his time. He dragged himself to work, somewhat regretting not sleeping that night. It was better than staring more at that stupid napkin which kept him up for the most part. Sollux opened the door to a flower shop, being greeted by a small bell rattling from overhead. He moved his hands out from his jeans and wandered towards a door near the back side of the store.

"Hey Sollux."

Sollux looked back before opening the door. "Sup Aradia."

Aradia gave him a small smile, holding several pots of flowers and arranging them around the counters. "I almost thought you weren't going to come to work today."

"What'd make you think that?"

"That project you started." Aradia responded. "It's almost like you can't live outside of your cave."

"Yeah, well, the electrithity in my cave ithn't going to pay itthelf."

Aradia gave out a small chuckle, waving her hand towards the door. "Alright. Okay. Fair enough."

Sollux nodded, opening the back door. He leaned in, stealing an apron with his name on it and draped it over his thin figure.

Sollux wasn't much of a florist. He didn't know jack-shit about how to arrange flowers, how much water they needed or what kind of soil each plant preferred. He just needed the job to pay for rent. Aradia was nice enough to convince –and ultimately lie- to the store owner that Sollux was a professional when it came to flowers. Sollux had to waste some time learning about some of the plants but it got him the job and that was all that mattered. He kept his post as the cashier for the most part and Aradia took the time tending to the plants, not at all afraid to get down and dirty with soil or water. They worked as a good team and their hours matched pretty closely so no one caught Sollux's ignorance to plants. If Sollux knew anything remotely related to flowers, it'd be all about bees. Those little insects were probably one of the only other things that made Sollux tolerate the job. On occasion Sollux would have to lug some flowers into the shop and set them up for Aradia to arrange. From some unknown place a bee or two would drop by and snuggle up against a pedal to steal away its pollen. It was both fascinating and soothing to Sollux to hear the bee's little buzz circle around his ear.

So, in some ways, working at a flower shop was pretty ideal.

"So what's all this talk about you needing more money?" Aradia started, placing a pot down over a shelf.

Sollux groaned. "Did Terezi tell you?"

"Maybe."

"It'th nothing. I jutht need a therver."

"You're not going to get one anytime soon are you?"

"Well… it all dependth."

"On what?"

"If I want to owe money to the tightest ath out there."

Aradia looked at the other oddly. "And that'd be…?"

Sollux sighed, bringing himself behind the front counter. "Thith guy I knew a long time ago."

"Was he _that_ mean to you?"

"You don't even know." Sollux whined, rubbing his fingers over his forehead. "He had a thtupid crush on thith chick who he uthed to hang out with and he constantly harrathed me, thinking I wath trying to take her or thome shit like that. I wath little though and I really didn't care but he got all defenthive about it and made my life hell. I hated him for a long time."

"Maybe he's changed."

"Not from what I've experienthed. Once an arrogant athhole, alwayth an arrogant athhole."

"Now is that him or you you're talking about?"

Sollux smirked. "Oh gee, thankth."

Aradia gave a curt smile. She cleaned off some of the dirt on her hands over her apron and continued moving around pots with plants. Sollux leaned over the counter, mindlessly watching each flower being moved around if Aradia was in eyesight. Sollux chewed on his lower lip, slowly sinking into his thoughts once more.

"What would you do?"

"Hm?"

"If thome douche from your childhood came back and offered to help you out but you knew he wath thtill the biggestht bitch around. What would you do?"

Aradia held onto a small arrangement of flowers, looking at another collection within a large pottery piece. She stroked her fingers across one of the pedals as she thought about the question. "Well, knowing how desperate you are to get this done, if I were you I'd take the offer."

Sollux dropped his upper body over the counter, leaving his head to fall against its wooden frame.

"You asked!" Aradia pointed out.

"I know but I wath hoping you'd thay don't do it."

"It's either now, then or later Sollux. If you can't let go of the stuff he put you through in the past then you're just going to have to wait."

Sollux huffed, cringing slightly at the words. He knew she was right and it was his own stubborn pride keeping him from getting any closer to finishing his project. A white blur fell through his vision, spotting what appeared to be a straw. He looked up to Aradia who was giving a genuine smile and holding out the straw.

"Here."

"What the hell ith that for?"

"I want you take the straw and suck it up." Aradia dropped the straw over the counter and continued with her work. "You'll have to get over it someday."

"Who thayth I'm ever going to meet the guy again?"

Aradia shrugged. "I'm not sure but something tells me your desperation is going to force you to contact him."

Sollux picked up the straw, twirling it between his fingers. Where did she get this? "Thomthing tellth me the thame thing."

"And who knows, maybe this guy won't be so bad after all."

He snorted. "I honestly dou-"

When Sollux's sentence seemed to drag on with a long pause Aradia looked to her friend. He was frozen still, eyes strained forward and body rigid. She looked around the shop, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. The woman walked around the aisle Sollux was looking at and saw nothing strange. She wandered to the cash register, leaning towards the other and waving her hand.

"Soll-"

"Sh!" He said raising a hand. "Do you hear that?"

Aradia blinked, looking around. "Hear what?"

"That buzz."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Aradia asked. "Maybe you should go back home."

"I'm fine… it'th jutht." Sollux scowled. "I can hear it."

"Sollux-"

Sollux ignored her, beginning to scramble through the counter for something. He shuffled through small pots and bags of seeds. Several boxes were pushed away and a small shovel or two. Aradia leaned further over the counter when in a sudden motion Sollux stood up. In one hand, he held tightly onto a fly swatter, face firm and body ready for action. Sometimes Aradia grew concerned about the other. It might have been because of the excess time he spent on the computer that made him turn out this way but there was no way of proving that. Still, a lot of Sollux's friends agreed with her opinion.

"What are you doing?"

Again Sollux raised a hand and scanned the shop. He grasped onto the fly swatter like his life depended on the weapon as he wandered the aisles. Aradia was close behind, trying to spot the thing Sollux was so determined on finding –and probably killing. At the back, where a layout of budding flowers resided, did Sollux stop and give a long hard stare. He breathed out a small "ah-ha!" before raising the fly-swatter. Aradia glanced quickly at what Sollux was ready to make an assault on. An eyebrow rose as she leaned forward.

"Is that a-"

"DIE FUCKER!"

_SLAP_!

"…wasp?"

Sollux grinned wildly, proud for killing the menacing mockery of an insect. "Not anymore."

Aradia giggled under her breath, shaking her head lightly. "You really are a wasp's mortal enemy, aren't you?"

"Damn thraight." Sollux said proudly. "All of them should fear me."

"I'm sure they do. And all the bees worship you like you're their queen bee."

Sollux smirked at that, chuckling lightly as he threw the swatter onto the counter. "Maybe not queen bee but I'm pretty chill with them."

The two escaped back to the front of the door where a customer had wandered in. Aradia gave the customer a smile, asking if she needed anything and remained polite. The woman merely shook her head, claiming she was simply looking around. When she continued onward, examining the many flowers around. Aradia looked back to Sollux who stole away a stool and sat lazily over it. She brushed her hands over her apron and tapped a finger over his forehead.

"Let's go to the park after our shifts."

"Why there?"

"Is there any other place you'd like to go?"

"Not really."

"Then the park it is." She stated with a small smile. "We could go get some ice cream too."

Sollux huffed. "Are you trying to make fun of how broke I am?"

"No, I was going to pay."

"You don't have to."

"I know but it's called being a _good friend_."

"You jutht want to bring me along to thee if we can find any dead animalth, huh?"

Aradia smiled more broadly now. "That's part of it."

Sollux stared at the woman but found himself smiling at her. It was hard to be anything but upset with her –and slightly annoyed, but that was only when it came to computers for Sollux. He was happy to have her as a friend. Sollux almost even considered her to be a sister. He'd do anything to protect her and keep her as happy as he possibly could. They used to do a lot of things together and played around a lot too. The best part was Aradia wasn't one to draw attention to herself and didn't demand it either. She also didn't scream at him like a rabid coyote with phrases unfamiliar to Sollux. That he appreciated quite a lot.

"Hello?"

Sollux and Aradia looked to the front door, spotting a rather built man. Sollux's chipper attitude suddenly disappeared in a flash. He furrowed his eyebrows down, nearly glaring at the man. Let's just take this moment to say once more that Sollux _honestly sees_ Aradia as his little sister. And, as acting big brother, he did not favor the idea of some bulky ass weirdo from God knows where barging in two years ago and hitting on said acting younger sister. Sollux didn't get in the way of whatever relationship this hunky hulk was trying to develop with Aradia. So long as she didn't seem bothered or annoyed by the man Sollux wouldn't intervene. The moment he _did_ become a pest, Sollux would do all in his power to make the man back off.

"Good evening Equius." Aradia smiled at the man, dirty hands folded neatly in front of her. "Are you looking for some more blue bells today?"

"Perhaps…" Equius breathed.

Jeeze, the guy's breathing was like he was a professional porn star. Sollux raised an eyebrow, noticing Equius' excessive perspiration. Uh-oh. Looks like this built boulder was getting nervous.

"And maybe a few others for the selection." He added on.

"Okay, let me see what I can get." Aradia said, guiding the man around an aisle.

Sollux huffed, kicking his legs over the counter and leaned back. He pulled out his cell phone, trying to ignore the heavy breaths and lengthy vowels Equius spoke. They took their time trying to pick some plants that met Equius' fancy but he was a picky bastard. Then again, it wasn't so much that Equius was picky; Sollux knew it was because he wanted to try and spend as much time with Aradia as possible. He smirked, thinking of how lame his strategy was. What a loser. Sollux picked at his teeth, not aware of how much time he actually spent on his phone until Equius' breathing grew louder.

"Thank you Ms. Megido." Equius murmured. "This selection is rather… lovely."

Sollux raised an eyebrow at the two across.

"It was no problem. Just make sure to water them daily since they are still young."

"Ah, yes, of course." The man pursed his lips together. "I have one more question I need to ask."

"Yes?"

"You wouldn't happen to be doing anything today, would you?"

"Oh! I'm sorry. I already have plans with my friend." She looked over to Sollux who kept a straight face. "Maybe some other time."

The man nodded, sweat dripping down the back of his neck. "That would be pleasant."

Equius took his plants to Sollux, resting them on the counter, and waited patiently for the other to scan them. Sollux lazily took his time, glancing at the products with little interest. He announced the amount, got Equius to pay, and offered no smile when saying "thank you". The large man took a while to say good bye to Aradia. When he finally left Aradia huffed.

"You could be a little nicer, you know." Aradia stated.

"I could," Sollux rested his head over his hand, "but I won't."

"What do you have against him? Sure he's a bit… interesting, but he hasn't done anything wrong."

Sollux simply shrugged. "The guy creeps me out."

Aradia shook her head, going back to her work.

The rest of their shift went on with customers coming now and then. It was a mellow day, and Sollux found himself dozing off from his messed up sleep schedule. As promised, Aradia took him to the park and they walked with ice cream in hand, keeping a look out for dead creatures –or at least Aradia did; Sollux gave up right when she bought him ice cream. They consumed their time with meaningless talks, whether it'd be about school, friends or other events within their lives. It ate up most of the afternoon, which led Sollux to stay at Aradia's and watch some adventure movies. She kept swooning over every actor portraying Indiana Jones, leaving Sollux to just sigh and critique every special affect or CGI he could spot. When the night grew late, Sollux made his way for home. He threw himself over his bed, hearing the buzz of the servers scattered in his room without any particular order.

Well… now what?

Sleep?

Haha! He only wished. That buzzing noise seemed to nag Sollux to call Eridan. Oh little voice, don't you understand? Eridan is not even worth his precious time. Was he that desperate? In some ways, Sollux was beginning to believe he was. Aradia was right, though: he needed to suck it up and get over it. Sollux pressed his lips together in a straight line, glancing at the clock. It wasn't midnight yet. He wondered if that pansy fruit was still up. It wouldn't hurt to leave a voice mail, Sollux guessed.

He reached in his back pocket, grabbing his phone and dialing the number given to him.

_Ring_.

Please don't answer.

_Ring_.

Pleeeeaase.

_Ring_.

Oh for the love of God don't-

"Ampora speaking."

_FFFFFFFFFFFFFFF_-

Fine…

"I'm in."


	5. Chapter 4

**Aaaah~ you guys. I love seeing you guys here and on Tumblr. You all make me happy~ Next chapter might be shorter so I hope it's finished by this weekend!**

**[Edit] Heh, forgot to change one thing when I uploaded this. Fixed now so enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4-<strong>

The conversation was a brief establishment. A low hum echoed through the speaker of Sollux's phone as he listened to Eridan's orders. Sollux was in need of a legal assistance, he knew that much. He wasn't good with negotiating and he didn't want to be scammed out of something –or given the short end of the stick. Terezi popped into his mind when contemplating who he'd have to help him out. Sure she was still a student in law, but she could get by with permission, some papers, and all this other crap. He was sure she wouldn't mind the offer, either. That girl jumped onto any and every case her school offered. That was checked off his list. When he had the chance to actually do it, it was another story. As soon as vacation ended, his time would be packed with his part-time job, school and internships he had signed up for. Oh God, just the thought of all that stressed him out. How the hell did he manage to stay in school anyways? The hours he spent doing his homework always seemed to be a blur. He'd constantly shove his time and effort into _Spurb_, surprising himself each time when he saw he actually did his work. So long as it was done, Sollux had nothing to complain about. He had good grades to support him as well, even if he never studied. His photographic memory made life so much easier to get by. Sollux pondered over a date, but ended up telling Eridan he'd get back to him when he knew a day would be available.

One had come about three weeks after that call.

Sollux woke up to the smell of something green and leafy. He rolled around his bed, sluggishly pulling his legs out from under the sheets and followed where his nose guided him. It was familiar and brought back many peaceful evenings of a small green yard with Korean ornaments. A woman smiled down at Sollux, stroking his hair and kissing his forehead gingerly. Her elegant fingers poured tea with such experience it was almost as graceful as an angel. Sollux would grab for the small tea cup, thanking the woman as she cooed to him. There was rarely ever a man to compliment this beautiful lady. He was always out on business or taking a nap inside the house. Sollux was kept away from disturbing the man, always being told to behave, do well in school, and mind his manners as much as his own business. Sollux didn't question it, nor fight it. So long as he was given the chance to see that man and woman, he would carry out his day with herbal teas and small, traditional meals.

It was how his mother and father raised him to be like.

Before Sollux knew it, he had descended two flights of stairs and made it to the kitchen, seeing a pot over a stove producing the scent that drew him down memory lane. It exerted an herbal scent, releasing a calm feeling throughout Sollux's figure. He lingered near the pot, taking in the rush of heat boiling a small bag. It looked like it was almost done.

"Want some?"

Sollux looked back to see Mr. Deuce flipping through mail he had just received.

"Yeah," Sollux hummed. "When'd you get tea?"

"Just got it in the mail." Mr. Deuce said, quirking his head to a box on the table. The thing was unwrapped and opened, revealing several different sets of tea. Some Sollux had heard of, others were a mystery to him. "Your mom sent them to you."

"And you opened it?"

The man laughed. "Yep."

"What ever happened to privathy to people'th property?"

"It was from your mother." Mr. Deuce said more firmly. "There ain't much she could send that would be degrading to you."

Sollux rolled his eyes, taking out two cups, and set them next to the pan. He wandered into the pantry fishing for some honey. There was always honey in this house, courtesy of Aradia. It was placed in a small jar with a piece of honey cone floating within it. Sollux uncapped the jar, digging his finger within the gooey substance and broke off a piece of the cone. He popped the piece in his mouth, chewing its waxy texture but savoring the pollinated sugar. Oh God, why couldn't he just live off this shit? It could be all he needed to survive. He cradled the jar in his hand, looking at Mr. Deuce who returned the stare.

"You're going to have honey with it?"

"Yeth." Sollux said as if it were hard to believe he asked such a thing.

Mr. Deuce simply rolled his eyes, pouring a cup for himself and Sollux. Sollux stole away his cup, taking the jar of honey and a spoon with him as he escaped to the front yard. He sat on the front steps, settling his items next to him. Just a few more grinding motions with his teeth and he spit out the honey cone onto the small grass yard. He scooped up some honey, mixing a bunch into his ginseng tea. Sure, it was fine without the honey, but Sollux always found himself drinking it with the sweetener if it were ever available. He tapped the spoon against the edge of the cup, resting the utensil over the jar of honey. The mixture breathed a sweet herbal aroma towards Sollux's nose. He drew out a small breath, stealing away some heat before taking a sip. It was as delicious as it smelled. A warm drink sinking within him and hitting the bottom pit of his stomach. It heated his body up just as the spring sun did. He lifted his hand over his eyes, seeing a blue sky touched here and there by puffy white clouds. A gentle breeze brushed passed his pale face, dancing without a care in the world. He sighed, glancing around the small suburban neighborhood he currently resided in. Several small kids were messing around down the street with bicycles and a wagon. One kid was on the side walk, showing off his iPad which made Sollux roll his eyes. You know what he had when he was that age? A fucking magnifying glass to torment ants with. Sollux chuckled to himself, taking in another gulp of his tea. It was ridiculous to think of comparing himself with the new generation growing up. It wasn't like he was doing any differently, having himself shut up in his room obsessively typing away on his computer.

Sollux tipped the cup back and forth, watching its contents move around. Speaking of that, today he'd be meeting up with Eridan. He was surprised to see there hadn't been any time in almost a month to get in contact with the other. It seemed like school suddenly wanted to take revenge and steal away all of Sollux's time after he abused it on his programming. Today wasn't any different. He had homework to get done, but he didn't have his job on top of it or any classes. It was sort of last minute, but Sollux was glad to hear Eridan was available. Actually, glad sounds like he was happy to be seeing that fruit; more like he was content on hearing the other was available. Yeah, let's go with that one. Sollux cradled the cup, tapping the curve of it and took a sip.

He sort of wondered how Eridan had been after so long.

What was France like? Did he and Fef ever become anything more than just friends? They moved over there, after all. What about Eridan's dad? Sollux remembered overhearing his father about how the man had passed away. It still concerned him to this day why his father seemed so choked up about it. He never thought his father and Eridan's were ever on good relations because of the financial difficulty Mr. Ampora gave his family. Sollux never asked what was wrong though. It would have gotten him scolded. He instead pondered over ideas that seemed probable, but none really suited well. Sollux continued on with his blunder of questions. He knew he'd probably never get the chance to ask Eridan any of them. He almost planned on staying as far away from the other as possible, keeping a distance between them for sake of not punching the other. Why not? It seemed wise.

Sollux rubbed the back of his neck, stretching out his thin figure and feeling his bones crack. Damn, was he stiff. Karkat would have told him to do some form of exercise to get his body up and about but Sollux always denied. He didn't care how weak his body was, so long as it didn't keep him from working out his mental capacity. See, he did work out sometimes; it was just in his brain. Sollux smirked at the thought, taking his time to finish his tea.

It did seem a bit random for him to stay outside, the one place he seemed to avoid if it wasn't necessary to be in, but Sollux wanted to. He rather enjoyed the solitude and fresh air he could gather up over the occasional days when he had little to stress about. Sure, today was filled with an agenda but, when he could, he salvaged some time to appreciate the community he so happened to live in. He could never clear his thoughts and stay still but he could always settle down within a peaceful idea, resting on its mellow cloud and drifting along without cramps, aches, or pains from what the real world pressured him with. Basically, he liked to preserve the rare occasions he could spend outside.

The reflection on Sollux's transcendentalist side only lasted as long as his tea did –which was surprisingly kind of long. He took the container of honey and cup inside, dropping one object in the sink and placing the other in the pantry. He made his way upstairs, grabbing the nicest clothes he could find in his closet, and walked into the bathroom to shower up. He had a feeling that the place Eridan picked out was some fancy joint; the name was unfamiliar, so Sollux didn't want to take his chances. He washed away any filth on his body and scrubbed his hair clean. After drying up, Sollux checked himself in the mirror. There was a slightly darker shade under his eyes but no one would ever really notice with his tinted glasses. He'd need sleep soon though, placing that reminder on his list. Swiftly, he removed some stubbles growing at the sides of his face and a few just above his lip. It was a tedious thing he hated doing, but he felt nice enough to clean up good. A nice, pale-grey cotton button up was wrapped over his body, and a pair of dull tinted press pants he hardly ever used was put on as well. A watch was clasped onto his wrist and phone stuffed into his pocket. He stole a glance at the time, deciding now would be perfect for picking up Terezi.

And so he did.

Terezi was more than excited to get this ball rolling. She was dressed professionally; having some experience with handling situations such as the one Sollux was in. She kept talking smack about how this Eridan guy wasn't going to get Sollux to approve of anything he didn't want, and how Sollux would be the one getting the best end of the deal. Sollux smirked, wondering if her confidence would last.

As Sollux predicted back at home, the place was a pretty fancy joint. It was located in the rich part of town, which made Sollux's beat-up car look like a piece of junk. So Eridan wanted to play in his own territory huh? Fine then. Sollux was cool with that. He didn't care how many owners of Porches or BMW's passed him by with stuck up noses and lowered eyes. Fuck them! He was just gonna get the papers signed and be on his merry way back to his home.

"Sollux, are you alright?" Terezi asked with a cocked eyebrow. "You're breathing like you're mad."

Sollux glanced at her, almost surprised. "You can tell by how I'm breathing?"

"Of course!" She chimed. "It's pretty obvious."

"Thorry," Sollux muttered. "It'th jutht that I've never had a good experienthe with rich people I gueth so they kindda pith me off."

Terezi let out an obnoxious laugh. "Then you chose the best person to have your game invested from, huh?"

"Only the betht."

"Don't sweat it Sollux," Terezi said, patting his shoulder. "With me helping you out, it'll be like getting pay back."

Sollux smirked. "Thoundth good to me."

Sollux managed to scavenge out a parking spot close to the restaurant. He sometimes wondered why Terezi never held onto those disabled cards for people she carpooled with, but she always insisted that her blind eyes didn't make her any more different to anyone else. She pulled out her cane, tapping along a smooth cement floor, which made her look down as if she could see.

"Prestigious much?"

"If only you thaw the building." Sollux said, gently placing a hand on her arm. "Come on, thith way."

"So paint me a picture of the douche I'm about to meet. I'd like to know what my competition is like," Terezi cackled.

"Well… remember that movie Rent we thaw with Karkat? I think the actor wath playing thome dude named Mark."

"Yeah?"

"He kindda lookth like that guy but with longer hair that'th more… I dunno, brown and blond I gueth." Terezi nodded, tapping her cane over a sidewalk. "He'th jutht a bit taller than me, too. And he alwayth lookth at me like he'th better than me, tho be fucking happy that you don't have to put up with thothe thtupid, big, almost purple but-not-really eyeth."

"Are they dreamy eyes?"

"Fuck you."

She cackled once more. "I'm just messing around! Sheesh!"

Sollux opened the door for Terezi, escorting her to a woman at a front podium. She greeted the couple, asking if they had reservations, which Terezi quickly responded to by saying Eridan's name. The woman looked through the list and gave a small "Ah, right this way". Terezi folded her cane and tucked it under her arm, gripping Sollux's elbow a little tighter and placing her trust in him to guide her. This method had taken some time for Sollux to get used to. After Terezi had an unfortunate accident and lost such a precious sense, he helped her as best he could. It was now natural for Sollux to lead her around tight areas abundant of crowds and such.

Towards the opposite end of the restaurant, in a separate room, Sollux spotted Eridan chatting away with some other man, probably a manager or lawyer. He didn't really look like one, though. He had profound black hair that scooped forward in a nice curve and a deep tan to match wild green eyes and a charming broad smile. Eridan glanced up, spotting Terezi and Sollux being guided to the table. He gave a fake yet professional smile to the two, standing along with the mystery man.

"Nice to see you came Sol." Eridan smirked. "And who is this may I ask?"

"Terezi Pyrope," she answered strongly, extending out her hand towards the voices she heard, "I'll be representing Mr. Captor in this negotiation."

Nice. Very nice.

"Yeah…" Sollux added awkwardly. He wasn't good at these kinds of things so shut up.

The two shook hands firmly, bringing an even ground to the situation. Eridan pulled back, gesturing his hand to his partner. "I'd like you tw-wo to meet Mr. Jake English, my manager."

"Good evening." Jake said with a broad grin and heavy English accent. "I do say, it's a pleasure to meet the both of you."

The man shook hands with both parties, nodding as the two agreed with him. They all took their seats, having been settled down and ready for anything.

"So then," Eridan said clasping his hands together, "let's talk business."

Sollux was undoubtedly and full heartily happy. His mind was set for finishing his programming, which had taken up some sleep time, but he was so close to getting this sucker done. Another holiday week would most likely bring him to the conclusion of all his hard work. Sollux didn't really express his utter and complete joy of knowing this thing was soon to be done, but every now and then he'd find himself grinning wildly at the coding and numbers being accepted into the server. The days ran by smoothly, no bumps in the road or anything such as that. He was pretty proud of himself. The world might actually be looking at him and offer a thumbs up when he was done. God knows he fucking deserved it after the many all-nighters and aching stomachs he suffered through -even if it was more his fault.

Like a casual routine, Sollux had a shifted gaze glued onto his computer, tapping his fingers away with swift motions across the keyboard. He neglected to hear the doorbell ring, drowning himself in the rhythm his keyboard made with each button being pressed on. Downstairs, Mr. Deuce was quick to stuff away some strange object into a hidden cabinet, draping over a piece of cloth and making his way to the door. He glanced through the peep hole and was rather surprised to see an unfamiliar face standing at his door step. He never really had strangers visit, solicitors or not.

"Hello," Mr. Deuce said, opening the door.

"Hello, may I come in?"

Mr. Deuce raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell are you?"

The clicks scattered quickly and sufficiently. It was like each of Sollux's fingers had a mind of its own.

"Hey boy! There's a friend here who wants to see you," Mr. Deuce called up the staircase. "Boy?"

That'd actually be kind of cool. What if he didn't have to use his fingers and he just stared at the screen and his mind did this shit for him.

"Go on up, he's on the third floor. Can't miss it. And tell him to get his ass off that computer, too," Mr. Deuce mumbled under his breath.

Sollux wasn't much of a dreamer, but it'd be pretty wicked to score the ability of telekinesis. Just saying.

Elegant footsteps wandered towards the third floor of the small home. Sollux hadn't detected the ghostly taps, too lost in his thoughts and the monitor before him.

Just think of all the crazy stuff he could have done back in high school. All the pay backs he could have given to those assholes who bullied Karkat or the occasional girl who harassed Aradia. Damn!

_Knock, knock._

Sollux groaned, rolling his eyes as if he were professional at it. "I'm buthy!"

The knocks continued.

"_I'm bthsy_!"

"I don't fuckin' care!"

Sollux froze for a second. He knew that voice. He knew that voice so well, that if he were deaf, he could still recognize it. The door slammed open, making Sollux grow rigid. Slowly, the man swung around, confronting an elegantly dressed Eridan at the door of his room.

"Sol, I need your help."

In a blundering motion Sollux could only blurt out one thing:

"HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW WHERE I LIVE?"

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><p><strong>If you have the time, drop off a review. I appreciate them all~<strong>


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